Electronic device for providing ar/vr environment, and operation method thereof

ABSTRACT

An example electronic device may include a display, a processor, and a memory. The memory may store instructions which, when executed, enable the processor to: execute a first application providing a stereoscopic screen; store, in a first frame buffer, a first execution screen generated by rendering a screen provided by the first application; while the first execution screen is being displayed, identify an execution request of a second application providing a non-stereoscopic screen; execute the second application in response to the execution request of the second application; store, in the first frame buffer, a second execution screen generated by rendering a screen provided by the second application; store, in a second frame buffer different from the first frame buffer, a third execution screen generated by stereoscopic-rendering the second execution screen; change a frame buffer referred to by the display from the first frame buffer to the second frame buffer; and display the third execution screen.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of International Application No.PCT/KR2021/019092 designating the United States, filed on Dec. 15, 2021,in the Korean Intellectual Property Receiving Office and claimingpriority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2021-0025824, filed on Feb.25, 2021, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosures ofall of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entireties.

BACKGROUND Field

The disclosure relates to an electronic device that provides anaugmented reality/virtual reality (AR/VR) environment and a method foroperating the same.

Description of Related Art

Electronic devices may provide an augmented reality (AR) environmentand/or a virtual reality (VR) environment to a user. For example, theelectronic device may provide various contents to the user through anapplication providing an AR environment and/or a VR environment.

A VR environment may, for example, be an environment that provides auser with a fully artificial digital image, often rendered in a virtualspace. An AR environment may, for example, be an environment thatprovides an image in which a virtual object is overlaid on an imagerepresenting the real world.

Also, an electronic device may provide a three-dimensional effect ARenvironment and/or VR environment to the user by displaying astereoscopic screen generated through an application. Here, thestereoscopic screen may include a screen corresponding to the user'sleft eye and a screen corresponding to the user's right eye. The screencorresponding to the left eye and the screen corresponding to the righteye may be screens representing the same content having different focus.

SUMMARY

When a screen displayed by an electronic device is switched from astereoscopic screen to a non-stereoscopic screen, the three-dimensionaleffect of the stereoscopic AR environment and/or the stereoscopic VRenvironment may disappear. As the three-dimensional effect disappears, auser may experience discomfort. Also, as the three-dimensional effectdisappears, the user's sense of immersion may be impaired.

According to an example embodiment of the disclosure, an electronicdevice may include a display, a processor, and a memory operativelyconnected to the display and the processor. The memory may storeinstructions that, when executed, cause the processor to execute a firstapplication providing a stereoscopic screen, store a first executionscreen generated by rendering a screen provided by the first applicationin a first frame buffer, identify an execution request of a secondapplication providing a non-stereoscopic screen while the firstexecution screen is displayed on the display, execute the secondapplication in response to the execution request of the secondapplication, store a second execution screen generated by rendering ascreen provided by the second application in the first frame buffer,store a third execution screen generated by stereoscopic rendering ofthe second execution screen in a second frame buffer different from thefirst frame buffer, change a frame buffer which is referenced by thedisplay from the first frame buffer to the second frame buffer, andallow the display to display the third execution screen.

According to an example embodiment of the disclosure, a method ofoperating an electronic device may include executing a first applicationproviding a stereoscopic screen, storing a first execution screengenerated by rendering a screen provided by the first application in afirst frame buffer, identifying an execution request of a secondapplication providing a non-stereoscopic screen while the firstexecution screen is displayed, executing the second application inresponse to the execution request of the second application, storing asecond execution screen generated by rendering a screen provided by thesecond application in the first frame buffer, storing a third executionscreen generated by stereoscopic rendering of the second executionscreen in a second frame buffer different from the first frame buffer,changing a frame buffer which is referenced by a display from the firstframe buffer to the second frame buffer, and allowing the display todisplay the third execution screen.

According to the example embodiments of the disclosure, an electronicdevice may preserve a user's sense of immersion by rendering anon-stereoscopic screen provided by an application into a stereoscopicscreen.

In addition to this, various effects identified directly or indirectlythrough this disclosure may be provided.

Effects achieved through various example embodiments of the disclosureare not be limited to those particularly described herein, and othereffects and advantages not described herein will be more clearlyunderstood from the following detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other aspects, features and advantages of certainembodiments of the present disclosure will be more apparent from thefollowing detailed description, taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example electronic device in anetwork environment according to various embodiments;

FIG. 2 illustrates a configuration of an example electronic device,according to various embodiments;

FIG. 3A illustrates an example method of displaying an execution screenby an example electronic device, according to various embodiments;

FIG. 3B illustrates an example of a screen displayed through an exampleelectronic device, according to various embodiments;

FIG. 4A illustrates an example method of displaying an execution screenby an example electronic device, according to various embodiments;

FIG. 4B illustrates an example of a screen displayed through an exampleelectronic device, according to various embodiments;

FIG. 4C illustrates an example execution screen stored in a frame bufferand an example execution screen displayed on a display, according tovarious embodiments;

FIG. 5 illustrates an example app stack in which applications areexecuted, according to various embodiments;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart describing an example stereoscopic renderingmethod of an example electronic device, according to variousembodiments;

FIG. 7 illustrates an example operation of an example electronic device,according to various embodiments;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart describing an example method of providing an ARenvironment and/or a VR environment, according to various embodiments;and

FIG. 9 is a flowchart describing an example rendering loop of an exampleelectronic device, according to various embodiments.

In connection with the description of the drawings, the same or similarreference numerals may be used for the same or similar components.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an electronic device 101 in anetwork environment 100 according to various embodiments. Referring toFIG. 1 , the electronic device 101 in the network environment 100 maycommunicate with an electronic device 102 via a first network 198 (e.g.,a short-range wireless communication network), or at least one of anelectronic device 104 or a server 108 via a second network 199 (e.g., along-range wireless communication network). According to an embodiment,the electronic device 101 may communicate with the electronic device 104via the server 108. According to an embodiment, the electronic device101 may include a processor 120, memory 130, an input module 150, asound output module 155, a display module 160, an audio module 170, asensor module 176, an interface 177, a connecting terminal 178, a hapticmodule 179, a camera module 180, a power management module 188, abattery 189, a communication module 190, a subscriber identificationmodule (SIM) 196, or an antenna module 197. In various embodiments, atleast one of the components (e.g., the connecting terminal 178) may beomitted from the electronic device 101, or one or more other componentsmay be added in the electronic device 101. In various embodiments, someof the components (e.g., the sensor module 176, the camera module 180,or the antenna module 197) may be implemented as a single component(e.g., the display module 160).

The processor 120 may execute, for example, software (e.g., a program140) to control at least one other component (e.g., a hardware orsoftware component) of the electronic device 101 coupled with theprocessor 120, and may perform various data processing or computation.According to an embodiment, as at least part of the data processing orcomputation, the processor 120 may store a command or data received fromanother component (e.g., the sensor module 176 or the communicationmodule 190) in volatile memory 132, process the command or the datastored in the volatile memory 132, and store resulting data innon-volatile memory 134. According to an embodiment, the processor 120may include a main processor 121 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU)or an application processor (AP)), or an auxiliary processor 123 (e.g.,a graphics processing unit (GPU), a neural processing unit (NPU), animage signal processor (ISP), a sensor hub processor, or a communicationprocessor (CP)) that is operable independently from, or in conjunctionwith, the main processor 121. For example, when the electronic device101 includes the main processor 121 and the auxiliary processor 123, theauxiliary processor 123 may be adapted to consume less power than themain processor 121, or to be specific to a specified function. Theauxiliary processor 123 may be implemented as separate from, or as partof, the main processor 121.

The auxiliary processor 123 may control at least some of functions orstates related to at least one component (e.g., the display module 160,the sensor module 176, or the communication module 190) among thecomponents of the electronic device 101, instead of the main processor121 while the main processor 121 is in an inactive (e.g., sleep) state,or together with the main processor 121 while the main processor 121 isin an active state (e.g., executing an application). According to anembodiment, the auxiliary processor 123 (e.g., an image signal processoror a communication processor) may be implemented as part of anothercomponent (e.g., the camera module 180 or the communication module 190)functionally related to the auxiliary processor 123. According to anembodiment, the auxiliary processor 123 (e.g., the neural processingunit) may include a hardware structure specified for artificialintelligence model processing. An artificial intelligence model may begenerated by machine learning. Such learning may be performed, e.g., bythe electronic device 101 where the artificial intelligence is performedor via a separate server (e.g., the server 108). Learning algorithms mayinclude, but are not limited to, e.g., supervised learning, unsupervisedlearning, semi-supervised learning, or reinforcement learning. Theartificial intelligence model may include a plurality of artificialneural network layers. The artificial neural network may be a deepneural network (DNN), a convolutional neural network (CNN), a recurrentneural network (RNN), a restricted Boltzmann machine (RBM), a deepbelief network (DBN), a bidirectional recurrent deep neural network(BRDNN), deep Q-network or a combination of two or more thereof but isnot limited thereto. The artificial intelligence model may, additionallyor alternatively, include a software structure other than the hardwarestructure.

The memory 130 may store various data used by at least one component(e.g., the processor 120 or the sensor module 176) of the electronicdevice 101. The various data may include, for example, software (e.g.,the program 140) and input data or output data for a command relatedthereto. The memory 130 may include the volatile memory 132 or thenon-volatile memory 134.

The program 140 may be stored in the memory 130 as software, and mayinclude, for example, an operating system (OS) 142, middleware 144, oran application 146.

The input module 150 may receive a command or data to be used by anothercomponent (e.g., the processor 120) of the electronic device 101, fromthe outside (e.g., a user) of the electronic device 101. The inputmodule 150 may include, for example, a microphone, a mouse, a keyboard,a key (e.g., a button), or a digital pen (e.g., a stylus pen).

The sound output module 155 may output sound signals to the outside ofthe electronic device 101. The sound output module 155 may include, forexample, a speaker or a receiver. The speaker may be used for generalpurposes, such as playing multimedia or playing record. The receiver maybe used for receiving incoming calls. According to an embodiment, thereceiver may be implemented as separate from, or as part of, thespeaker.

The display module 160 may visually provide information to the outside(e.g., a user) of the electronic device 101. The display module 160 mayinclude, for example, a display, a hologram device, or a projector andcontrol circuitry to control a corresponding one of the display,hologram device, and projector. According to an embodiment, the displaymodule 160 may include a touch sensor adapted to detect a touch, or apressure sensor adapted to measure the intensity of force incurred bythe touch.

The audio module 170 may convert a sound into an electrical signal andvice versa. According to an embodiment, the audio module 170 may obtainthe sound via the input module 150, or output the sound via the soundoutput module 155 or a headphone of an external electronic device (e.g.,an electronic device 102) directly (e.g., wiredly) or wirelessly coupledwith the electronic device 101.

The sensor module 176 may detect an operational state (e.g., power ortemperature) of the electronic device 101 or an environmental state(e.g., a state of a user) external to the electronic device 101, andthen generate an electrical signal or data value corresponding to thedetected state. According to an embodiment, the sensor module 176 mayinclude, for example, a gesture sensor, a gyro sensor, an atmosphericpressure sensor, a magnetic sensor, an acceleration sensor, a gripsensor, a proximity sensor, a color sensor, an infrared (IR) sensor, abiometric sensor, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, or anilluminance sensor.

The interface 177 may support one or more specified protocols to be usedfor the electronic device 101 to be coupled with the external electronicdevice (e.g., the electronic device 102) directly (e.g., wiredly) orwirelessly. According to an embodiment, the interface 177 may include,for example, a high definition multimedia interface (HDMI), a universalserial bus (USB) interface, a secure digital (SD) card interface, or anaudio interface.

A connecting terminal 178 may include a connector via which theelectronic device 101 may be physically connected with the externalelectronic device (e.g., the electronic device 102). According to anembodiment, the connecting terminal 178 may include, for example, a HDMIconnector, a USB connector, a SD card connector, or an audio connector(e.g., a headphone connector).

The haptic module 179 may convert an electrical signal into a mechanicalstimulus (e.g., a vibration or a movement) or electrical stimulus whichmay be recognized by a user via tactile sensation or kinestheticsensation. According to an embodiment, the haptic module 179 mayinclude, for example, a motor, a piezoelectric element, or an electricstimulator.

The camera module 180 may capture a still image or moving images.According to an embodiment, the camera module 180 may include one ormore lenses, image sensors, image signal processors, or flashes.

The power management module 188 may manage power supplied to theelectronic device 101. According to an embodiment, the power managementmodule 188 may be implemented as at least part of, for example, a powermanagement integrated circuit (PMIC).

The battery 189 may supply power to at least one component of theelectronic device 101. According to an embodiment, the battery 189 mayinclude, for example, a primary cell which is not rechargeable, asecondary cell which is rechargeable, or a fuel cell.

The communication module 190 may support establishing a direct (e.g.,wired) communication channel or a wireless communication channel betweenthe electronic device 101 and the external electronic device (e.g., theelectronic device 102, the electronic device 104, or the server 108) andperforming communication via the established communication channel. Thecommunication module 190 may include one or more communicationprocessors that are operable independently from the processor 120 (e.g.,the application processor (AP)) and supports a direct (e.g., wired)communication or a wireless communication. According to an embodiment,the communication module 190 may include a wireless communication module192 (e.g., a cellular communication module, a short-range wirelesscommunication module, or a global navigation satellite system (GNSS)communication module) or a wired communication module 194 (e.g., a localarea network (LAN) communication module or a power line communication(PLC) module). A corresponding one of these communication modules maycommunicate with the external electronic device via the first network198 (e.g., a short-range communication network, such as Bluetooth™,wireless-fidelity (Wi-Fi) direct, or infrared data association (IrDA))or the second network 199 (e.g., a long-range communication network,such as a legacy cellular network, a 5G network, a next-generationcommunication network, the Internet, or a computer network (e.g., LAN orwide area network (WAN)). These various types of communication modulesmay be implemented as a single component (e.g., a single chip), or maybe implemented as multi components (e.g., multi chips) separate fromeach other. The wireless communication module 192 may identify andauthenticate the electronic device 101 in a communication network, suchas the first network 198 or the second network 199, using subscriberinformation (e.g., international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI))stored in the subscriber identification module 196.

The wireless communication module 192 may support a 5G network, after a4G network, and next-generation communication technology, e.g., newradio (NR) access technology. The NR access technology may supportenhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), massive machine type communications(mMTC), or ultra-reliable and low-latency communications (URLLC). Thewireless communication module 192 may support a high-frequency band(e.g., the mmWave band) to achieve, e.g., a high data transmission rate.The wireless communication module 192 may support various technologiesfor securing performance on a high-frequency band, such as, e.g.,beamforming, massive multiple-input and multiple-output (massive MIMO),full dimensional MIMO (FD-MIMO), array antenna, analog beam-forming, orlarge scale antenna. The wireless communication module 192 may supportvarious requirements specified in the electronic device 101, an externalelectronic device (e.g., the electronic device 104), or a network system(e.g., the second network 199). According to an embodiment, the wirelesscommunication module 192 may support a peak data rate (e.g., 20 Gbps ormore) for implementing eMBB, loss coverage (e.g., 164 dB or less) forimplementing mMTC, or U-plane latency (e.g., 0.5 ms or less for each ofdownlink (DL) and uplink (UL), or a round trip of 1 ms or less) forimplementing URLLC.

The antenna module 197 may transmit or receive a signal or power to orfrom the outside (e.g., the external electronic device) of theelectronic device 101. According to an embodiment, the antenna module197 may include an antenna including a radiating element composed of orincluding a conductive material or a conductive pattern formed in or ona substrate (e.g., a printed circuit board (PCB)). According to anembodiment, the antenna module 197 may include a plurality of antennas(e.g., array antennas). In such a case, at least one antenna appropriatefor a communication scheme used in the communication network, such asthe first network 198 or the second network 199, may be selected, forexample, by the communication module 190 (e.g., the wirelesscommunication module 192) from the plurality of antennas. The signal orthe power may then be transmitted or received between the communicationmodule 190 and the external electronic device via the selected at leastone antenna. According to an embodiment, another component (e.g., aradio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC)) other than the radiatingelement may be additionally formed as part of the antenna module 197.

According to various embodiments, the antenna module 197 may form ammWave antenna module. According to an embodiment, the mmWave antennamodule may include a printed circuit board, a RFIC disposed on a firstsurface (e.g., the bottom surface) of the printed circuit board, oradjacent to the first surface and capable of supporting a designatedhigh-frequency band (e.g., the mmWave band), and a plurality of antennas(e.g., array antennas) disposed on a second surface (e.g., the top or aside surface) of the printed circuit board, or adjacent to the secondsurface and capable of transmitting or receiving signals of thedesignated high-frequency band.

At least some of the above-described components may be coupled mutuallyand communicate signals (e.g., commands or data) therebetween via aninter-peripheral communication scheme (e.g., a bus, general purposeinput and output (GPIO), serial peripheral interface (SPI), or mobileindustry processor interface (MIPI)).

According to an embodiment, commands or data may be transmitted orreceived between the electronic device 101 and the external electronicdevice 104 via the server 108 coupled with the second network 199. Eachof the electronic devices 102 or 104 may be a device of a same type as,or a different type, from the electronic device 101. According to anembodiment, all or some of operations to be executed at the electronicdevice 101 may be executed at one or more of the external electronicdevices 102, 104, or 108. For example, if the electronic device 101should perform a function or a service automatically, or in response toa request from a user or another device, the electronic device 101,instead of, or in addition to, executing the function or the service,may request the one or more external electronic devices to perform atleast part of the function or the service. The one or more externalelectronic devices receiving the request may perform the at least partof the function or the service requested, or an additional function oran additional service related to the request, and transfer an outcome ofthe performing to the electronic device 101. The electronic device 101may provide the outcome, with or without further processing of theoutcome, as at least part of a reply to the request. To that end, acloud computing, distributed computing, mobile edge computing (MEC), orclient-server computing technology may be used, for example. Theelectronic device 101 may provide ultra low-latency services using,e.g., distributed computing or mobile edge computing. In an embodiment,the external electronic device 104 may include an internet-of-things(IoT) device. The server 108 may be an intelligent server using machinelearning and/or a neural network. According to an embodiment, theexternal electronic device 104 or the server 108 may be included in thesecond network 199. The electronic device 101 may be applied tointelligent services (e.g., smart home, smart city, smart car, orhealthcare) based on 5G communication technology or IoT-relatedtechnology.

It should be appreciated that various embodiments of the presentdisclosure and the terms used therein are not intended to limit thetechnological features set forth herein to particular embodiments andare intended to include various changes, equivalents, or replacementsfor a corresponding embodiment. With regard to the description of thedrawings, similar reference numerals may be used to refer to similar orrelated elements. It is to be understood that a singular form of a nouncorresponding to an item may include one or more of the things, unlessthe relevant context clearly indicates otherwise. As used herein, eachof such phrases as “A or B,” “at least one of A and B,” “at least one ofA or B,” “A, B, or C,” “at least one of A, B, and C,” and “at least oneof A, B, or C,” may include any one of, or all possible combinations ofthe items enumerated together in a corresponding one of the phrases. Asused herein, such terms as “1st” and “2nd,” or “first” and “second” maybe used to simply distinguish a corresponding component from another,and do not limit the components in other aspect (e.g., importance ororder). It is to be understood that if an element (e.g., a firstelement) is referred to, with or without the term “operatively” or“communicatively”, as “coupled with,” “coupled to,” “connected with,” or“connected to” another element (e.g., a second element), the element maybe coupled with the other element directly (e.g., wiredly), wirelessly,or via a third element.

As used in connection with various embodiments of the disclosure, theterm “module” may include a unit implemented in hardware, software, orfirmware, or any combination thereof, and may interchangeably be usedwith other terms, for example, “logic,” “logic block,” “part,” or“circuitry”. A module may be a single integral component, or a minimumunit or part thereof, adapted to perform one or more functions. Forexample, according to an embodiment, the module may be implemented in aform of an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

Various embodiments as set forth herein may be implemented as software(e.g., the program 140) including one or more instructions that arestored in a storage medium (e.g., internal memory 136 or external memory138) that is readable by a machine (e.g., the electronic device 101).For example, a processor (e.g., the processor 120) of the machine (e.g.,the electronic device 101) may invoke at least one of the one or moreinstructions stored in the storage medium, and execute it, with orwithout using one or more other components under the control of theprocessor. This allows the machine to be operated to perform at leastone function according to the at least one instruction invoked. The oneor more instructions may include a code generated by a compiler or acode executable by an interpreter. The machine-readable storage mediummay be provided in the form of a non-transitory storage medium, wherethe term “non-transitory” refers to the storage medium being a tangibledevice, and does not include a signal (e.g., an electromagnetic wave),but this term does not differentiate between data being semi-permanentlystored in the storage medium and data being temporarily stored in thestorage medium.

According to an embodiment, a method according to various embodiments ofthe disclosure may be included and provided in a computer programproduct. The computer program product may be traded as a product betweena seller and a buyer. The computer program product may be distributed inthe form of a machine-readable storage medium (e.g., compact disc readonly memory (CD-ROM)), or be distributed (e.g., downloaded or uploaded)online via an application store (e.g., PlayStore™), or between two userdevices (e.g., smart phones) directly. If distributed online, at leastpart of the computer program product may be temporarily generated or atleast temporarily stored in the machine-readable storage medium, such asmemory of the manufacturer's server, a server of the application store,or a relay server.

According to various embodiments, each component (e.g., a module or aprogram) of the above-described components may include a single entityor multiple entities, and some of the multiple entities may beseparately disposed in different components. According to variousembodiments, one or more of the above-described components may beomitted, or one or more other components may be added. Alternatively oradditionally, a plurality of components (e.g., modules or programs) maybe integrated into a single component. In such a case, according tovarious embodiments, the integrated component may still perform one ormore functions of each of the plurality of components in the same orsimilar manner as they are performed by a corresponding one of theplurality of components before the integration. According to variousembodiments, operations performed by the module, the program, or anothercomponent may be carried out sequentially, in parallel, repeatedly, orheuristically, or one or more of the operations may be executed in adifferent order or omitted, or one or more other operations may beadded.

FIG. 2 illustrates a configuration of an example electronic device,according to various embodiments.

According to an embodiment, an electronic device 200 (e.g., theelectronic device 101 of FIG. 1 ) may include a processor 210 (e.g., theprocessor 120 of FIG. 1 ), a display 220 (e.g., the display module 160of FIG. 1 ), and/or a memory 230 (e.g., the memory 130 of FIG. 1 ).

According to an embodiment, the electronic device 200 may be a devicefor providing an AR environment and/or a VR environment in a 3D space toa user. According to an embodiment, the electronic device 200 may be adevice (e.g., a head mounted display (HMD) device) that can be worn on apart (e.g., the head) of the user's body. According to an embodiment,the electronic device 200 may be mounted on a separate device. Theseparate device may, for example, be a device that can be worn on a part(e.g., the head) of the user's body. As the electronic device 200 ismounted on a separate device, the electronic device 200 may provide auser with an AR environment and/or a VR environment in a 3D space.

According to an embodiment, when the electronic device 200 is worn by auser, the display 220 may be disposed at a position recognizable throughthe user's left and/or right eyes. According to an embodiment, when theelectronic device 200 is worn by a user, the display 220 may be disposedat a position corresponding to the user's field of view (FOV). Accordingto an embodiment, the display 220 may include a first display areafacing the user's left eye (or a FOV of the left eye) and a seconddisplay area facing the user's right eye (or a FOV of the right eye).According to an embodiment, the first display area and the seconddisplay area may be separate areas on the same display. According to anembodiment, the first display area and the second display area may beareas on different displays.

According to an embodiment, the processor 210 may provide an ARenvironment and/or a VR environment in a 3D space to a user through thedisplay 220. For example, the processor 210 may overlay and display avirtual object on the real world through the display 220. For anotherexample, the processor 210 may display a screen representing a virtualworld separated from the real world through the display 220.

According to an embodiment, a screen displayed by the processor 210through the display 220 may be a stereoscopic screen. According to anembodiment, one stereoscopic screen may include a first stereoscopicscreen and a second stereoscopic screen. The processor 210 may displaythe first stereoscopic screen on the first display area and the secondstereoscopic screen on the second display area. For example, the firststereoscopic screen may correspond to the left eye (or a FOV of the lefteye), and the second stereoscopic screen may correspond to the right eye(or a FOV of the right eye). According to an embodiment, the firststereoscopic screen and the second stereoscopic screen may be screensdisplaying the same content with different focus.

According to an embodiment, the memory 230 may include a logical display240, a virtual display 250, a frame buffer selection module 260, a firstapplication 270, a second application 275, a renderer 280, and/or astereoscopic renderer 290. The logical display 240, the virtual display250, and the frame buffer selection module 260 may, for example, beprograms stored in the memory 230 in the form of instructions (e.g., theprogram 140 of FIG. 1 ). The first application 270, the secondapplication 275, the renderer 280, and the stereoscopic renderer 290may, for example, be software programs executed in the operating system(e.g., 142 of FIG. 1 ) of the electronic device 200.

According to an embodiment, the logical display 240 and the virtualdisplay 250 may store information related to the display 220. Forexample, the logical display 240 and the virtual display 250 may storehorizontal size information, vertical size information, and/or rotationinformation of a screen to be displayed on the display 220. According toan embodiment, the logical display 240 may include a first frame buffer245. For example, the first frame buffer 245 may store a screen to bedisplayed on the logical display 240. The virtual display 250 mayinclude a second frame buffer 255. For example, the second frame buffer255 may store a screen to be displayed on the virtual display 250.

According to an embodiment, the frame buffer selection module 260 mayselect one of the first frame buffer 245 and the second frame buffer255. The display 220 may refer to the frame buffer selected by the framebuffer selection module 260. For example, an execution screen stored ina frame buffer selected by the frame buffer selection module 260 may bedisplayed on the display 220. For example, data stored in the framebuffer selected (or instructed) by the frame buffer selection module 260from among the first frame buffer 245 of the logical display 240 and thesecond frame buffer 255 of the virtual display 250 may be input to thedisplay 220. According to an embodiment, an operation of the framebuffer selection module 260 may actually be performed by the processor210.

According to an embodiment, the first application 270 may be anapplication for providing an AR environment and/or a VR environment.According to an embodiment, the first application 270 may be anapplication that provides a stereoscopic screen. According to anembodiment, the first application 270 may use a frame buffer that isdistinct from the first frame buffer 245 and the second frame buffer255.

According to an embodiment, the second application 275 may be anapplication for providing a non-stereoscopic screen. According to anembodiment, the second application 275 may be an application forproviding an environment (e.g., a use environment on a two-dimensionalspace) distinct from an AR environment and/or a VR environment. In anembodiment, the second application 275 may use a frame buffer that isdistinct from the first frame buffer 245 and the second frame buffer255.

According to an embodiment, the renderer 280 may draw an executionscreen of an application (e.g., the first application 270 or the secondapplication 275) on a surface allocated to the application. According toan embodiment, the renderer 280 may store the rendered execution screenin the first frame buffer 245.

According to an embodiment, the stereoscopic renderer 290 may render (orconvert) an arbitrary screen into a stereoscopic screen. Thestereoscopic renderer 290 may render a non-stereoscopic screen into astereoscopic screen. According to an embodiment, the stereoscopicrenderer 290 may render a screen stored in the first frame buffer 245 asa stereoscopic screen. According to an embodiment, the stereoscopicrenderer 290 may store the rendered stereoscopic screen in the secondframe buffer 255. Hereinafter, a rendering operation according to anexample embodiment of the disclosure will be described with reference toFIGS. 3A and 3B, and a stereoscopic rendering operation for anon-stereoscopic screen according to an example embodiment of thedisclosure will be described with reference to FIGS. 4A, 4B, and 4C.

According to an example embodiment, the electronic device 200 mayinclude the display 220, the processor 210, and the memory 230operatively connected to the display 220 and the processor 210. Thememory 230 may further store instructions that, when executed, cause theprocessor 210 to execute the first application 270 providing astereoscopic screen, store a first execution screen generated byrendering a screen provided by the first application 270 in the firstframe buffer 245, identify an execution request of the secondapplication 275 providing a non-stereoscopic screen while the firstexecution screen is displayed on the display 220, execute the secondapplication 275 in response to the execution request of the secondapplication 275, store a second execution screen generated by renderinga screen provided by the second application 275 in the first framebuffer 245, store a third execution screen generated by stereoscopicrendering of the second execution screen in the second frame buffer 255different from the first frame buffer 245, change a frame buffer whichis referenced by the display 220 from the first frame buffer 245 to thesecond frame buffer 255, and allow the display 220 to display the thirdexecution screen.

According to an example embodiment, the memory 230 may further storeinstructions that, when executed, cause the processor 210 to change apointer value linked to the display 220 when a frame buffer referencedby the display 220 is changed from the first frame buffer 245 to thesecond frame buffer 255.

According to an example embodiment, the stereoscopic screen may includea screen corresponding to the right eye of the user and a stereoscopicscreen corresponding to the left eye of the user.

According to an example embodiment, the first execution screen mayinclude a user interface (UI) for executing the second application 275,and the memory 230 may further store instructions that, when executed,cause the processor 210 to execute the second application 275 based on afirst user input with respect to the UI.

According to an example embodiment, the memory 230 may further storeinstructions that, when executed, cause the processor 210 to execute thethird application (e.g., the stereoscopic renderer 290) to perform thestereoscopic rendering when the second application 275 is executed.

According to an example embodiment, the memory 230 may further storeinstructions that, when executed, cause the processor 210 to execute thefirst application 270 and the second application 275 in a firstapplication stack and to execute the third application in a secondapplication stack.

According to an example embodiment, the memory 230 may further storeinstructions that, when executed, cause the processor 210 to change theframe buffer referenced by the display 220 from the second frame buffer255 to the first frame buffer 245 and to terminate the thirdapplication, when a termination request of the second application 275 isidentified.

According to an example embodiment, the memory 230 may store at leastone of horizontal/vertical size or rotation information of the display220.

According to an example embodiment, the memory 230 may further storeinstructions that, when executed, cause the processor 210 to update thesecond execution screen based on a second user input with respect to thethird execution screen.

According to an example embodiment, the memory 230 may further storeinstructions that, when executed, cause the processor 210 to update thethird execution screen based on the updated second execution screen.

FIG. 3A illustrates an example method of displaying an execution screenby an example electronic device, according to various embodiments. FIG.3B illustrates an example of a screen displayed through an exampleelectronic device, according to various embodiments.

Hereinafter, FIGS. 3A and 3B may be described with reference to theconfigurations of FIG. 2 .

According to an embodiment, an application (e.g., the first application270 or the second application 275) executed in FIG. 3A may request(e.g., onDraw( )) a drawing to the renderer 280 in response to a userinput (or execution of the instructions).

According to an embodiment, the renderer 280 may draw a screen providedby the application on a surface allocated to the application (e.g., thefirst application 270 or the second application 275). The screenprovided by the application may be a stereoscopic screen or anon-stereoscopic screen. The renderer 280 may generate screen datarepresenting an execution screen 310 of the application by drawing onthe surface allocated to the application. According to an embodiment,the renderer 280 may store the execution screen 310 (or screen datarepresenting the execution screen 310) in the first frame buffer 245 ofthe logical display 240. According to an embodiment, the executionscreen 310 may vary depending on applications (or functions ofapplications). For example, when an application (e.g., the firstapplication 270) provides an AR environment and/or a VR environment in a3D space, the execution screen 310 may be a stereoscopic screen. Foranother example, when an application (e.g., the second application 275)provides a use environment in a two-dimensional space, the executionscreen 310 may be a non-stereoscopic screen. In an embodiment, theoperation of the renderer 280 may actually be performed by the processor210.

According to an embodiment, the display 220 may display the executionscreen 310 based on screen data stored in the first frame buffer 245.

Referring to FIG. 3B, a first screen 351 may represent a stereoscopicscreen displayed through the display 220.

According to an embodiment, the first screen 351 may include a firststereoscopic screen 360 corresponding to the user's left eye (or a FOVof the left eye) and a second stereoscopic screen 365 corresponding tothe right eye (or a FOV of the right eye). According to an embodiment,the processor 210 may provide a three-dimensional AR environment and/orVR environment to the user through the first screen 351.

According to an embodiment, a second screen 355 may represent anon-stereoscopic screen displayed through the display 220.

When the second screen 355 in the 2D space is displayed in a situationwhere a user is experiencing an AR environment and/or a VR environmentin the 3D space through the first screen 351, the user's sense ofimmersion may be damaged. For example, while the first screen 351 isdisplayed, the second application 275 is executed based on a user inputwith respect to a UI 370 on the first screen 351, and the second screen355 provided by the second application is displayed, the user's sense ofimmersion may be damaged.

Hereinafter, a stereoscopic rendering operation for a non-stereoscopicscreen according to an embodiment of the disclosure will be describedwith reference to FIGS. 4A, 4B, and 4C.

FIG. 4A illustrates an example method of displaying an execution screenby an example electronic device, according to various embodiments. FIG.4B illustrates an example of a screen displayed through an exampleelectronic device, according to various embodiments. FIG. 4C illustratesan example execution screen stored in a frame buffer and an exampleexecution screen displayed on a display, according to variousembodiments.

Hereinafter, FIGS. 4A, 4B, and 4C may be described with reference to theconfigurations of FIG. 2 .

According to an embodiment, the processor 210 may execute theapplication (e.g., the second application 275). According to anembodiment, the processor 210 may execute the application (e.g., thesecond application 275) providing a non-stereoscopic screen whiledisplaying a stereoscopic screen.

According to an embodiment, when the application is executed, theapplication may request (e.g., onDraw( )) a drawing to the renderer 280.According to an embodiment, the renderer 280 may draw a screen providedby the application on a surface allocated to the application. Therenderer 280 may generate screen data representing a first executionscreen 410 of the application by drawing on the surface allocated to theapplication. According to an embodiment, the renderer 280 may store thefirst execution screen 410 (or screen data representing the firstexecution screen 410) in the first frame buffer 245 of the logicaldisplay 240.

According to an embodiment, the first execution screen 410 may be anon-stereoscopic screen. The processor 210 may execute the stereoscopicrenderer 290. The stereoscopic renderer 290 may perform the stereoscopicrendering of the first execution screen 410 stored in the first framebuffer 245 to generate a second execution screen 420. According to anembodiment, the second execution screen 420 may be a stereoscopicscreen. The second execution screen 420 may include a stereoscopicscreen corresponding to the user's left eye (or a FOV of the left eye)and a stereoscopic screen corresponding to the user's right eye (or aFOV of the right eye). The stereoscopic screen corresponding to theuser's left eye (or a FOV of the left eye) and the stereoscopic screencorresponding to the user's right eye (or a FOV of the right eye) may bescreens representing the same content with different focus. Theprocessor 210 may store the second execution screen 420 in the secondframe buffer 255 of the virtual display (e.g., the virtual display 250of FIG. 2 ).

According to an embodiment, the frame buffer selection module 260 mayselect (or instruct) one of the first frame buffer 245 and the secondframe buffer 255. According to an embodiment, the display 220 maydisplay an execution screen stored in the frame buffer selected by theframe buffer selection module 260. For example, data stored in theselected frame buffer may be input to the display 220.

According to an embodiment, the frame buffer selection module 260 mayselect the second frame buffer 255. For example, the frame bufferselection module 260 may change the frame buffer that is referenced bythe display 220 from the first frame buffer 245 to the second framebuffer 255. For example, a change in a frame buffer referred to by thedisplay 220 may be understood as a change in a pointer value linked tothe display 220.

According to an embodiment, the processor 210 may display the executionscreen stored in the frame buffer instructed by the frame bufferselection module 260 on the display 220. For example, the processor 210may display the second execution screen 420 stored in the second framebuffer 255 on the display 220.

According to an embodiment, operations of the renderer 280, thestereoscopic renderer 290, and the frame buffer selection module 260 mayactually be performed by the processor 210.

Referring to FIG. 4B, a first screen 451 and a second screen 455 mayrepresent stereoscopic screens displayed through the display 220. Thefirst screen 451 may correspond to the first screen 351 of FIG. 3B.According to an embodiment, the display of the first screen 451 may beperformed according to the same principle as the method of displayingthe execution screen of FIG. 3A. The display of the second screen 455may be performed according to the same principle as the method ofdisplaying the execution screen of FIG. 4A.

According to an embodiment, the processor 210 may execute an applicationproviding a use environment on a 2D space in response to a user inputwith respect to a UI 470 included in the first screen 451. The processor210 may display the second screen 455 through the display 220 based onthe application.

According to an embodiment, the second screen 455 may be a stereoscopicscreen, unlike the second screen 355 of FIG. 3B. The processor 210 maypreserve the user's sense of immersion by following the display methodof FIG. 4A.

Referring to FIG. 4C, a reference number 490 illustrates an executionscreen (or the screen data representing an execution screen) stored inthe first frame buffer (e.g., the first frame buffer 245 of FIG. 2 ) andthe second frame buffer (e.g., the second frame buffer 255 of FIG. 2 ).

According to an embodiment, the processor 210 may execute an application(e.g., the first application 270 of FIG. 2 ) for providing an ARenvironment and/or a VR environment. The first screen 451 may be anexecution screen of an application for providing an AR environmentand/or a VR environment. The processor 210 may store the first screen451 in the first frame buffer 245. The processor 210 may display thefirst screen 451 on the display 220. The first screen 451 may include afirst stereoscopic screen 460 corresponding to the user's left eye (or aFOV of the left eye) and a second stereoscopic screen 465 correspondingto the user's right eye (or a FOV of the right eye). The first screen451 may include an application (e.g., the UI 470 for executing thesecond application 275 of FIG. 2 ) that provides a user environment in atwo-dimensional space.

According to an embodiment, the processor 210 may execute an applicationproviding a use environment on a 2D space in response to a user's inputwith respect to the UI 470. According to an embodiment, the renderer 280may generate data representing an execution screen 453 by drawing anon-stereoscopic screen provided by the application on a surfaceallocated to the application. The processor 210 may store the executionscreen 453 in the first frame buffer 245.

According to an embodiment, the processor 210 may perform thestereoscopic rendering of the execution screen 453 by executing thestereoscopic renderer 290. The stereoscopic renderer 290 may perform thestereoscopic rendering of the execution screen 453 to generate thesecond screen 455. The second screen 455 may be a stereoscopic screen.The second screen 455 may include a third stereoscopic screen 480corresponding to the left eye (or a FOV of the left eye) and a fourthstereoscopic screen 485 corresponding to the right eye (or a FOV of theright eye).

According to an embodiment, the processor 210 may display the secondscreen 455 on the display 220. For example, the frame buffer selectionmodule 260 may change the frame buffer that is referenced by the display220 from the first frame buffer 245 to the second frame buffer 255. Theprocessor 210 may input screen data stored in the second frame buffer255 to the display 220.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example app stack in which applications areexecuted, according to various embodiments.

According to an embodiment, applications (e.g., the first application270, the second application 275, and the stereoscopic renderer 290 ofFIG. 2 ) may be executed in an app stack. According to an embodiment,applications may be executed and/or terminated in a last in first out(LIFO) method in an app stack. According to an embodiment, when aplurality of applications are executed in one app stack, an executionscreen of the most recently executed application may be displayed on thedisplay 220.

According to an embodiment, the plurality of applications executed inone app stack may share authority (e.g., authority to access the memory230 and authority to collect position information) for the electronicdevice 200. For example, the first application 270 may request theaccess authority with respect to data stored in the memory 230 to theuser. Based on the user's acceptance for the authority request, thefirst application 270 may obtain the access authority with respect todata stored in the memory 230. The second application 275 may beexecuted after the first application 270 is executed. When the secondapplication 275 is executed in the same app stack as the firstapplication 270, the second application 275 may obtain the accessauthority with respect to data stored in the memory 230. When the secondapplication 275 is executed in an app stack different from that of thefirst application 270, the second application 275 may not be able toobtain the access authority with respect to data stored in the memory230. In this case, the second application 275 may request the accessauthority with respect to data stored in the memory 230 to the user.

According to an embodiment, the logical display 240 and the virtualdisplay 250 may respectively have an app stack. For example, the logicaldisplay 240 may have a first app stack 500. For example, the virtualdisplay 250 may have a second app stack 550.

According to an embodiment, the processor 210 may execute the firstapplication 270 in the first app stack 500. The processor 210 maydisplay the execution screen of the first application 270 on the display220. The execution screen of the first application 270 may be astereoscopic screen.

According to an embodiment, the processor 210 may execute the secondapplication 275 in the first app stack 500. The second application 275may provide a non-stereoscopic screen. The processor 210 may execute thestereoscopic renderer 290 in the second app stack 550. According to anembodiment, the stereoscopic renderer 290 may be executed in response tothe execution of the second application 275. The stereoscopic renderer290 may stereoscopically render a non-stereoscopic screen provided bythe second application 275. According to an embodiment, the processor210 may display the stereoscopically rendered execution screen of thesecond application 275 on the display 220.

According to an embodiment, when the execution of the second application275 is terminated, the processor 210 may terminate the secondapplication 275 in the first app stack 500 and may terminate thestereoscopic renderer 290 in the second app stack 550. The processor 210may display the execution screen of the first application 270 on thedisplay 220 again.

According to an embodiment, the first application 270 and the secondapplication 275 may be executed in the same app stack (e.g., the firstapp stack 500). The second application 275 may have the same authorityas the first application 270. According to an embodiment, the processor210 may increase compatibility between applications and may enablesequential processing by executing the first application 270 and thesecond application 275 in the same app stack.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart describing an example stereoscopic renderingmethod of an example electronic device, according to variousembodiments.

In operation 600, a processor (e.g., the processor 210 of FIG. 2 ) mayexecute a first application (e.g., the first application 270 of FIG. 2). According to an embodiment, the first application 270 may provide astereoscopic screen. According to an embodiment, the processor 210 mayexecute the first application 270 to provide an AR environment and/or aVR environment to a user.

In operation 610, the processor 210 may display a first execution screenbased on the first application 270. According to an embodiment, theprocessor 210 may render an execution result of the first application270 and may store the rendered data in the first frame buffer 245.Thereafter, the processor 210 may display the first execution screen onthe display 220 by inputting the data stored in the first frame buffer245 to the display 220. According to an embodiment, the first executionscreen may be a stereoscopic screen.

In operation 620, the processor 210 may identify an execution request ofa second application (e.g., the second application 275 of FIG. 2 ) whiledisplaying the first execution screen. According to an embodiment, thesecond application 275 may provide a non-stereoscopic screen. Accordingto an embodiment, the second application 275 may be an application thatprovides a use environment in a two-dimensional space. According to anembodiment, the execution request may be obtained through a user input.For example, the execution request may be obtained through a user input(e.g., a gesture) with respect to a UI (e.g., the UI 370 of FIG. 3B)included in the first execution screen. The user input may include, forexample, a designated motion (e.g., shaking or pointing) using a part(e.g., a hand or a foot) of the user's body.

In operation 630, the processor 210 may execute the second application275 in response to the execution request.

In operation 640, the processor 210 may generate a second executionscreen and may store the second execution screen in the first framebuffer 245. For example, the processor 210 may render an executionresult of the second application 275 and may store the rendered data inthe first frame buffer 245.

In operation 650, the processor 210 may stereoscopically render thesecond execution screen to generate a third execution screen. Accordingto an embodiment, the third execution screen may be a stereoscopicscreen. For example, the third execution screen may include astereoscopic screen corresponding to the user's left eye (or a FOV ofthe left eye) and a stereoscopic screen corresponding to the user'sright eye (or a FOV of the right eye).

In operation 660, the processor 210 may store the third execution screenin a second frame buffer (e.g., the second frame buffer 255 of FIG. 2 ).According to an embodiment, the processor 210 may allocate (or generate)the virtual display 250 in the memory 230. The processor 210 may storethe third execution screen in the second frame buffer 255 of the virtualdisplay 250.

In operation 670, the processor 210 may change the frame buffer referredto by the display 220 from the first frame buffer 245 to the secondframe buffer 255. According to an embodiment, a frame buffer selectionmodule (e.g., the frame buffer selection module 260 of FIG. 2 ) mayselect a frame buffer referred to by the display 220. A change in theframe buffer referenced by the display 220 may be understood as a changein a pointer value linked to the display 220. For example, the framebuffer selection module 260 may select the second frame buffer 255 todisplay the execution screen of the second application on the display220. According to an embodiment, an operation of the frame bufferselection module 260 may actually be performed by the processor 210.

In operation 680, the processor 210 may display a third execution screenon the display 220. The processor 210 may display the third executionscreen based on screen data for displaying the third execution screenstored in the second frame buffer 255.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example operation of an example electronic device,according to various embodiments. Hereinafter, FIG. 7 may be describedwith reference to the configurations of FIG. 2 .

At a reference number 700, the electronic device 200 may start providingan AR environment and/or a VR environment to the user. For example, theprocessor 210 may execute the first application 270 providing astereoscopic screen.

The processor 210 may generate a first execution screen by rendering ascreen provided by the first application 270. The first execution screen(or screen data for representing the first execution screen) may bestored in the first frame buffer 245. A reference number 710 indicatesthat the first execution screen stored in the first frame buffer 245 isdisplayed on the display 220.

According to an embodiment, the processor 210 may execute the secondapplication 275. For example, the second application 275 may provide anon-stereoscopic screen. The processor 210 may generate a secondexecution screen by rendering a non-stereoscopic screen provided by thesecond application 275. The second execution screen may be anon-stereoscopic screen. A reference number 720 indicates that thegenerated second execution screen is stored in the first frame buffer245.

According to an embodiment, the processor 210 may execute thestereoscopic renderer 290 to stereoscopically render the secondexecution screen. The stereoscopic renderer 290 may be executed inresponse to execution of the second application 275. The stereoscopicrenderer 290 may generate a third execution screen by stereoscopicallyrendering the second execution screen. The third execution screen may bea stereoscopic screen. A reference number 725 indicates that thegenerated third execution screen is stored in the second frame buffer255. The operation of the stereoscopic renderer 290 may actually beperformed by the processor 210.

According to an embodiment, the frame buffer selection module 260 mayselect (or instruct) a frame buffer referred to by the display 220. Forexample, a change in a frame buffer referred to by the display 220 maybe understood as a change in a pointer value linked to the display 220.The frame buffer selection module 260 may select the second frame buffer255 in relation to the execution screen of the second application. Theprocessor 210 may display the third execution screen stored in thesecond frame buffer 255 on the display 220. The processor 210 maypreserve the user's sense of immersion by providing a three-dimensionalscreen to the user. A reference number 730 may indicate that the framebuffer selection module 260 selects the second frame buffer 255 and thethird execution screen stored in the second frame buffer 255 isdisplayed on the display 220. The operation of the frame bufferselection module 260 may actually be performed by the processor 210.

According to an embodiment, when the second application 275 isterminated, the processor 210 may display the first execution screen onthe display 220 again.

According to an embodiment, the processor 210 may terminate the secondapplication 275 when a termination request of the second application 275is identified. The processor 210 may terminate the stereoscopic renderer290 based on the termination of the second application 275.

According to an embodiment, the processor 210 may terminate the secondapplication 275 and may generate a first execution screen by rendering ascreen provided by the first application 270. The first execution screen(or screen data for representing the first execution screen) may bestored in the first frame buffer 245.

According to an embodiment, the frame buffer selection module 260 mayselect the first frame buffer 245 in relation to the execution screen ofthe first application. For example, the operation in which the framebuffer selection module 260 selects the first frame buffer 245 may beunderstood as changing a pointer value linked to the display 220 back toa value corresponding to the first frame buffer 245.

The reference number 730 may indicate that the frame buffer selectionmodule 260 selects the first frame buffer 245 again, and the firstexecution screen stored in the first frame buffer 245 is displayed onthe display 220.

A reference number 740 indicates that the first execution screen isdisplayed on the display 220.

In a reference number 750, when the execution of the first application270 is terminated, the processor 210 may terminate its operation.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart describing an example method of providing an ARenvironment and/or a VR environment, according to various embodiments.

Hereinafter, FIG. 8 may be described with reference to theconfigurations of FIG. 2 .

In operation 800, the processor 210 may execute an application (e.g.,the first application 270 or the second application 275).

In operation 810, the processor 210 may identify whether the screenprovided by the application is a stereoscopic screen.

When the screen provided by the application is a non-stereoscopic screen(810—NO), the processor 210 may proceed to operation 820.

In operation 820, the processor 210 may stereoscopically render a screenprovided by an application. The processor 210 may store thestereoscopically rendered execution screen in the second frame buffer255. In operation 822, the processor 210 may change the frame bufferreferred to by the display 220 from the first frame buffer 245 to thesecond frame buffer 255. The processor 210 may display the executionscreen stored in the second frame buffer 255 on the display 220. Forexample, further descriptions of operations 820 and 822 may be foundwith reference to the description of FIG. 4A.

In operation 824, the processor 210 may identify whether an executionscreen needs to be updated. According to an embodiment, the executionscreen may include a user interface (UI) capable of interacting with auser. The processor 210 may execute a preset function in response to auser input with respect to the UI. The application may provide anexecution screen based on the execution of a preset function.Accordingly, the processor 210 needs to update the execution screencurrently displayed on the display 220 to an execution screen based onthe execution of a preset function.

When updating of the execution screen is required (824—YES), theprocessor 210 may return to operation 820. In operation 820, theprocessor 210 may stereoscopically render a screen provided by anapplication to generate an updated execution screen. The processor 210may display the updated execution screen on the display 220 and mayproceed to operation 824. In this case, the display 220 may alreadyrefer to the second frame buffer 255. Therefore, operation 822 may beomitted.

When updating of the execution screen is not required (824—NO), theprocessor 210 may proceed to operation 826. In operation 826, theprocessor 210 may identify a termination request of the application. Forexample, the processor 210 may receive a user input with respect to a UIindicating termination of the application and may identify thetermination request of the application.

When the termination request of the application is not identified(826—NO), the processor 210 may return to operation 824.

When the termination request of the application is identified (826—YES),the processor 210 may proceed to operation 828. In operation 828, theprocessor 210 may change the frame buffer referred to by the display 220from the second frame buffer 245 to the first frame buffer 255. Theprocessor 210 may terminate the application and may terminate theoperation.

Referring back to operation 810, when the screen provided by theapplication is a stereoscopic screen (810—YES), the processor 210 mayproceed to operation 830.

In operation 830, the processor 210 may render a screen provided by theapplication. For example, further description of operation 830 may befound with reference to the description of FIG. 3A.

In operation 832, the processor 210 may identify whether an executionscreen needs to be updated. When updating of the execution screen isrequired (832—YES), the processor 210 may return to operation 830. Inoperation 830, the processor 210 may generate an updated executionscreen by rendering a screen provided by the application.

When updating of the execution screen is not required (832—NO), theprocessor 210 may proceed to operation 834. In operation 834, theprocessor 210 may identify a termination request of the application.

When the termination request of the application is not identified(834—NO), the processor 210 may return to operation 832.

When the termination request of the application is identified (834—YES),the processor 210 may terminate the application and may terminate theoperation.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart describing an example rendering loop of an exampleelectronic device, according to various embodiments. Hereinafter, FIG. 9may be described with reference to the configurations of FIG. 2 .

In operation 900, the processor 210 may execute the application 275providing a non-stereoscopic screen. The processor 210 may proceed tooperations 910 and 930. Operations 910 and 930 may be performedsimultaneously or sequentially.

According to an embodiment, the processor 210 may render a screenprovided by the application in operation 910. The processor 210 mayproceed to operation 920 and may store the rendering result in the firstframe buffer 245. The rendering result may be screen data representingan execution screen of an application. The screen stored in operation920 may be a non-stereoscopic screen.

According to an embodiment, the processor 210 may execute thestereoscopic renderer 290 in operation 930. The stereoscopic renderer290 may be executed in response to the execution of the application. Theprocessor 210 may proceed to operation 932 to perform stereoscopicrendering. According to an embodiment, the processor 210 maystereoscopically render the screen data stored in the first frame buffer245. The processor 210 may proceed to operation 940 and may store therendering result in the second frame buffer 255. The rendering resultmay be screen data representing the execution screen of the application.The screen stored in operation 940 may be a stereoscopic screen. Forexample, a change in a frame buffer referred to by the display 220 maybe understood as a change in a pointer value linked to the display 220.

The processor 210 may proceed to operation 950 and may display theexecution screen stored in the second frame buffer 255 on the display220. According to an embodiment, before operation 950, the processor 210may change the frame buffer referred to by the display 220 from thefirst frame buffer 245 to the second frame buffer 255. For example, achange in a frame buffer referred to by the display 220 may beunderstood as a change in a pointer value linked to the display 220.

According to an embodiment, the processor 210 may render a screenprovided by the application in operation 910 and may proceed tooperation 960. In operation 960, the processor 210 may determine whetheran execution screen needs to be updated. Operation 960 may correspond tooperation 824 of FIG. 8 .

When updating of the execution screen is required (960—YES), theprocessor 210 may proceed to operation 910. The processor 210 mayperform operations 910 to 950 to display the updated execution screen onthe display 220.

When updating of the execution screen is not required (960—NO), theprocessor 210 may proceed to operation 962. In operation 962, theprocessor 210 may identify a termination request of the application.

When the termination request of the application is not identified(962—NO), the processor 210 may return to operation 960.

When the termination request of the application is identified (962—YES),the processor 210 may terminate the application and may terminate theoperation. According to an embodiment, before terminating the operation,the processor 210 may change the frame buffer referred to by the display220 from the second frame buffer 255 to the first frame buffer 245.

While the disclosure has been illustrated and described with referenceto various example embodiments, it will be understood that the variousexample embodiments are intended to be illustrative, not limiting. Itwill be further understood by those skilled in the art that variouschanges in form and detail may be made without departing from the truespirit and full scope of the disclosure, including the appended claimsand their equivalents. It will also be understood that any of theembodiment(s) described herein may be used in conjunction with any otherembodiment(s) described herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. An electronic device comprising: a display; aprocessor, and a memory operatively connected to the display and theprocessor, wherein the memory stores instructions that, when executed,cause the processor to: execute a first application providing astereoscopic screen; store a first execution screen generated byrendering a screen provided by the first application in a first framebuffer; identify an execution request of a second application providinga non-stereoscopic screen while the first execution screen is displayedon the display; execute the second application in response to theexecution request of the second application; store a second executionscreen generated by rendering a screen provided by the secondapplication in the first frame buffer; store a third execution screengenerated by stereoscopic rendering of the second execution screen in asecond frame buffer different from the first frame buffer; change aframe buffer which is referenced by the display from the first framebuffer to the second frame buffer; and allow the display to display thethird execution screen.
 2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein thememory further stores instructions that, when executed, cause theprocessor to: when the frame buffer which is referenced by the displayis changed from the first frame buffer to the second frame buffer,change a value of a pointer linked to the display.
 3. The electronicdevice of claim 1, wherein the stereoscopic screen includes astereoscopic screen corresponding to a right eye of a user and astereoscopic screen corresponding to a left eye of the user.
 4. Theelectronic device of claim 1, wherein the first execution screenincludes a user interface (UI) for executing the second application, andwherein the memory further stores instructions that, when executed,cause the processor to: execute the second application based on a firstuser input with respect to the UI.
 5. The electronic device of claim 1,wherein the memory further stores instructions that, when executed,cause the processor to: execute a third application to perform thestereoscopic rendering when the second application is executed.
 6. Theelectronic device of claim 5, wherein the memory further storesinstructions that, when executed, cause the processor to: execute thefirst application and the second application in a first applicationstack; and execute the third application in a second application stackdifferent from the first application stack.
 7. The electronic device ofclaim 5, wherein the memory further stores instructions that, whenexecuted, cause the processor to: change the frame buffer which isreferenced by the display from the second frame buffer to the firstframe buffer when a termination request of the second application isidentified; and terminate the third application.
 8. The electronicdevice of claim 1, wherein the memory stores at least one ofhorizontal/vertical size or rotation information of the display.
 9. Theelectronic device of claim 1, wherein the memory further storesinstructions that, when executed, cause the processor to: update thesecond execution screen based on a second user input with respect to thethird execution screen.
 10. The electronic device of claim 9, whereinthe memory further stores instructions that, when executed, cause theprocessor to: update the third execution screen based on the updatedsecond execution screen.
 11. A method of operating an electronic device,the method comprising: executing a first application providing astereoscopic screen; storing a first execution screen generated byrendering a screen provided by the first application in a first framebuffer; identifying an execution request of a second applicationproviding a non-stereoscopic screen while the first execution screen isdisplayed; executing the second application in response to the executionrequest of the second application; storing a second execution screengenerated by rendering a screen provided by the second application inthe first frame buffer; storing a third execution screen generated bystereoscopic rendering of the second execution screen in a second framebuffer different from the first frame buffer; changing a frame bufferwhich is referenced by a display from the first frame buffer to thesecond frame buffer; and allowing the display to display the thirdexecution screen.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the changing ofthe frame buffer which is referenced by the display from the first framebuffer to the second frame buffer includes: changing a value of apointer linked to the display.
 13. The method of claim 11, wherein thestereoscopic screen includes a stereoscopic screen corresponding to aright eye of a user and a stereoscopic screen corresponding to a lefteye of the user.
 14. The method of claim 11, wherein the first executionscreen includes a user interface (UI) for executing the secondapplication, and wherein the identifying of the execution request of thesecond application providing the non-stereoscopic screen includes:identifying the execution request of the second application based on afirst user input with respect to the UI.
 15. The method of claim 11,further comprising: executing a third application to perform thestereoscopic rendering when the second application is executed.
 16. Themethod of claim 15, further comprising: executing the first applicationand the second application in a first application stack; and executingthe third application in a second application stack different from thefirst application stack.
 17. The method of claim 15, further comprising:changing the frame buffer which is referenced by the display from thesecond frame buffer to the first frame buffer when a termination requestof the second application is identified; and terminating the thirdapplication.
 18. The method of claim 11, further comprising: storing ina memory at least one of horizontal/vertical size or rotationinformation of the display.
 19. The method of claim 11, furthercomprising: updating the second execution screen based on a second userinput with respect to the third execution screen.
 20. The method ofclaim 19, further comprising: updating the third execution screen basedon the updated second execution screen.